It’s time for another installment of 7-Imp’s 7 Kicks . . . For those new to our series, this is where we all stop in every Sunday to report seven (more or less is fine) Good Things that happened to you (or that you read or saw or experienced or . . . well, you get the picture) this week.

* * * * * * * eisha’s list * * * * * * *

1* Last weekend, when we were househunting in Ithaca, the husband’s soon-to-be employer couldn’t get us a room at the usual hotel because of some festival that was going on… so they put us up in a spa resort! With a giant chess board outside! And I-swear-to-god the most amazing mattress I’ve ever slept on. Didn’t have time to try out the free-to-guests sauna, but I’ve never seen what the benefit of sitting around sweating is supposed to be anyway.

2* While staying at said resort, we saw a deer grazing on the lawn through our window Saturday night. And we saw four very brazen deer nonchalantly grazing right next to the highway as we drove home on Sunday afternoon.

3* And we ate at Moosewood Saturday night. Oh yes, it really is all that, and a bag of… um, not chips… more like: “It’s all that and a bag of steamed asparagus with roasted red pepper dressing.” Boo-yah!

4* And I think we found an apartment. It’s a little smaller than we’d hoped, but it’s so pretty, and in a good location, and heat and internet access are included in rent, and we both got a really good feeling about it when we toured it – it just felt right. And this is one of those tricky areas where there isn’t a lot of overlap in what we each like, so that’s a rare and wondrous thing.

5* And we stopped by the theatre at Ithaca College and I met some of the husband’s soon-to-be colleagues, and they all seemed super-nice and were giving us all kinds of house-hunting advice and offers of help and such.

6* And we saw this.

(I didn’t actually take this photo, because it was just after sunset by the time we got there. I found the photo here. And it looked just like this, only darker.)

I think I’m going to like Ithaca very, very much.

7* How about something non-Ithaca related? Since I’m a children’s librarian, I don’t always hear about the new grown-up books until they’re already out. But I read a PW article on all the buzz-worthy adult books coming out this summer , and I am so psyched about the new stuff from some of my very favorite authors about to hit the shelves. Sure, I already knew about Don Delillo, Chuck Palahniuk, and Haven Kimmel (natch), but I didn’t know about Michael Chabon and Michael Ondaatje… Packing, schmacking. I’ve got books to read!

* * *

* * * * * * * Jules’ list * * * * * * *

Psst . . . Hey, Eisha, did you see this and this? That composer pictured there is Anne Boles Levy’s nephew. How do I know this? She posted about it last week, and I caught that post. I wondered if you’d seen it. Maybe Brian will be working with him soon. Who knows. Here’s my list:

1) Two friends sharing two original poems with me this week and last week (Thanks, Sara and Shannon) . . . And they were both really, really good.

2) Listening to The B-52’s “Cosmic Thing” and feeling like I was in college again.

3) My husband really digs his new job. Now at the end of a work day he says he had a great day instead of “I wasted eight hours of my life today.”

4) My mother coming over to play with my daughters while I took a huge stack of books to a coffee shop to read — UNINTERRUPTED! When you have very young children and often cannot use the bathroom alone, this is a luxury.

5) MotherReader’s post on potential prizes for her upcoming 48-Hour Book Challenge, in which she says that one prize will be:

Roger, of Read Roger, will talk about your win on his blog using the words “stoked” and “mega-tastic.” If you clock in more than thirty hours or fifteen books, he will also use either the phrase “true dat” or “that’s how I roll.”

Now, I gotsta have me my Read Roger every day, but it’d be even better, as MoReader put it, if he said “true dat” . . . or, hey, how about “s’aight, y’know what’m se-in?” Fo’ shizzle.

6) Michele at Scholar’s Blog sending me a copy of Emily Gravett’sMonkey and Me. YES, it’s in the mail, my friends! Straight from the UK. As far as I know it’s not been released here (if it has, I’ll be embarrassed, but either way I’ll have a copy in my hands soon). Thanks, Michele!

7) Spring and playing with my daughters outside.

How about you? What are your 7 Kicks this week?

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36 comments to “7-Imp’s 7 Kicks #8”

Morning Ladies!
Eisha, I grew up in Rochester and spent lots of time in and around Ithaca. It is beautiful and you will love it. I’ve been to Taughannock Falls and it is terrific, but the best sites are in Letchworth Park, which is west, but well worth the trip. Jules, I’m with you on spring and playing with kids, though a bit of time alone is nice too!
Okay, I didn’t participate last week because I could only think of one good thing, but this week was much better!
1. My Mom came home from the hospital after a sudden illness and being very sick. She’s doing much better and I’m so grateful.
2. Classes ended this week, and even though I’m relieved it’s over, I’m a bit sad too. I still have lots of work ahead of me, but on reflection find that I once again crossed paths with some fine young people who undoubtedly be great teachers one day.
3. After a checkup I took an hour to myself before going back to work and went to a local bookstore to browse.
4. William and I spent a terrific Friday afternoon at the public library reading and laughing.
5. I spent Saturday morning out in the sun with William at his school carnival. He never stopped smiling!
6. We went to visit a reptile rescue group and William was brave enough to hold a snake.
And, last of all,
7. My passport finally came! I leave in 16 days for China and can’t stand it I’m so excited!
That’s it for me. Have a great week everyone!

I’m glad Ithaca looks like it will be fun, Eisha! And even without children I can see why escaping to a cafe to read would be a treat, Jules.

My list for the week:

1. There were a very large number of books waiting for me at the library this week. Yay!
2. My cousin and aunt were up from Melbourne and we had a large family get together at mum’s house, full of aunts and cousins and pizza and falling over with laughter looking at some of mum’s clothes she has kept from the 80s
3. I went out for drinks one evening with a large group of ex-colleagues and had a great time (even if I thought the music was too loud…I am getting old I fear)
4. I confirmed that I have some interesting work to keep me occupied while my advisors read my final draft of my thesis. And I start this week!
5. I got a lot of paperwork type of stuff organised
6. Even though most people don’t agree with me that it is starting to feel like autumn, I made some pumpkin soup tonight. We also made it to the bakery on time to get some yummy bread to go with it.
7. I got to sleep in both days this weekend – bliss!

1. Interact play performance at school last Friday. Lots of laughter in the audience. Jules, I’ll have to email you how one student responded.
2. Mattresses (borrowed from Eisha’s comment) – and the great sleep we have on great mattresses. Unless you’re a Princess and there’s a pea under it.
3. Seeing deer. Eisha did and so did The Queen in the movie. Awesome performance!
4. Starbucks is coming to this itty-bitty town — to give you an idea of how small the town is, when we moved here there were NO traffic lights. Now there are 4.
5. coffee burr grinder for fresh ground coffee at home …. it is calling my name, so I’ll cut this short and come back to read everyone else’s comments.
Have a great week everyone!

Eisha, The photo looks like it could be in Oregon. I really need to read a Palahniuk novel seeing as he is local. Recommendation? Jules, I was in a store yesterday and they were playing the B52s, not the standard tracks.
My list:
1. Up to date on the poems in writing a poem per day. Two more poems to go.
2. A great rehearsal yesterday with the dramam club at school. Got some blocking done.
3. My work station was moved so that I am more visible in the library. It was in my office and I always felt like I was hiding.
4. Worked out three times this week.
5.Lunch was brought to me by my good friend and her granddaughter on Thursday.
6. Purple finch eggs hatched.
7, Weather was fabulous in Portland yesterday.

Thanks all for the kind words about my Mom. Msmac, how did I miss your poem a day? I’m going to head on over now and read them!
As for China, I am taking my laptop and a digital camera and hope to update my blog as close to daily as I can. I can’t wait to share and hope lots of folks will stop by to see what we’re doing.
Best,
Tricia

Okay, I didn’t even have to dig around for good things like getting free pens, because this actually was a kick-ass week for me. (finally)

1. I stopped dithering on dates and put out the 48 Hour Book Challenge announcement. I’ve gotten a great response of participants so far, which is awesome. I’ve also had some offeres of books and such for prizes.

2. Cracked myself up writing the prizes, including the Read Roger one you mentioned, but even better…

3. Roger came by another post, and when I asked him about his response to the prizes he said, “What, you don’t want incisive, biting critique of the winner’s choices? Ok, one “stoked” coming up. Let me know.” (Roger Sutton has even read my blog? Roger Sutton has read my blog!!!)

4. We locked in a fantastic writer for our new short film contest coming up. You know her by the initials R.B. and you do know her.

5. A long put-off dinner with a friend was very fun. Just the boost I needed to start the week.

6. A Very Special Stuffed Animal was lost by my 8yr old, but found again. The found again part made me so relieved, but even the lost has had payoff in that my 8yr old promised to never again argue with me about bringing toys to school. And if she does, I can say,”Remember the Webkinz?”

7. My daughters came home from getting their haircut, and they were beautiful. Dad took them to our long time hair dresser while I was at work, and she did a great job with both of them.

Emmaco, fall is my favorite season – and our spring has been so cold and rainy that pumpkin soup sounds divine to me right now.

McBetty – I assure you I am no princess, and wouldn’t have been disturbed by 1,000 peas under that lovely pillow-top mattress. I MUST get one of my own! And you’re the 3rd person to tell me I must see The Queen. It must really be good.

Jone, I don’t think I realized you’re in Portland. I have an old high-school friend who lives there, and I’ve always thought it sounds like the ideal place for me, even though I’ve never visited. So maybe Ithaca will be a good compromise.

My fave Palahniuk books have been Fight Club and Survivor, but if you want Portland flavor you could start with Fugitives and Refugees, which is all about the Portland area, his own experiences interspersed with interviews/profiles of local people/places.

i love this! ithaca looks beautiful–while traveling through there to take his board exams, my husband and fat-dog dakota went to that same waterfall. how great our fabulous matresses?
ten things list:
1-best mother-in-law came over to keep us company while husband is away
2. mother-in-law is opposite of what you are thinking: she is wonderful in everyway, seriously.
3. rehersal for ‘ladybug’s case of the missing caterpillar’ went really well…
4. …thanks to creative partner who bought green, yellow, red, black t-shirts for our pee-wee actors so they can ‘remember what insect they are.’
5. my four-year-old and i play soccer every evening in our courtyard and it’s actually good exercise. the kids like beckman.
6. i went out to ladies only dinner w/ before mentioned drama partner at coppola’s (as in francis ford)–was fabulous long dinner
7. i fixed my novel’s ‘back-of-the-book’ blurb and posted it on my lj. i like it so much better!
8. coe booth won the la times book award for her novel TYRELL–yay coe!
9. the sun was shining three days in a row–serious sun–80 degrees
10. my husband’s flying home from asia today!
have a great week everyone!

Emma, this kind of made my neck snap: Even though most people don’t agree with me that it is starting to feel like autumn . . .” This is why I love the internet and the blogosphere–I actually get to know (sort of) someone who lives on the opposite side of the world. That’s just so cool.

Tricia, I love that in the midst of all the stress, you took an hour for yourself. Good for you.

Eisha, that photo is SO beautiful. And I love that you and your husband both got a good feeling about the apartment. Sounds like it was all meant to be and it’s all falling into place. Plus you got to stay at a posh spa. Suh-weet!

Jules, I know how much your whole family’s lives must have improved from having a husband who is happy with his work. A bad job infects everyone around you.

I wasn’t sure if I was allowed to talk about it, but I can see from above that I am: one REALLY cool thing that happened this week was being asked by one M.R. to be the screenwriter for her upcoming 48-hour film project. Since I love deadlines and have a short attention span, this couldn’t be more perfect for me. Plus I’ll have the pleasure of writing a script and seeing real actors perform it within just a few days! A big difference from writing a novel and then waiting and waiting and waiting . . .

Happy Sunday to all of you. E & J, thanks again (I know I say this every week, but deal with it) for running this list. It’s such a happy way to transition into a new week.

Oh, for crying out loud… I was wracking my brain trying to figure out who RB could be… Congrats, Robin!

Heidi, that’s a hilarious-yet-brilliant idea, color-coding the little actors to their characters. I’ve done “readers theatre” plays with preschoolers (obviously with someone else doing the reading!) and will totally have to steal that idea next time. I hope your husband has a safe flight home!

Wow, seven things is here again, and I’m overflowing with good things this week….

1. Brother #2 came to visit on Friday night. He looks and sounds fantastic, which means a lot after a couple of not so fantastic years.

2. Brother #1 came to visit Saturday night, and now we’re all hanging out together (I’m hanging out, while they’re making repairs around my house. It’s good to be the little sister.)

3. I went on a great first date on Friday. Now looking forward to the second date on Tuesday.

4. Lots of great phone conversations this week.

5. It’s Shad Fest weekend here in Lambertville!

6. I found my Best of Chicago cd which I’d been looking for these last two weeks. Very important because I had pieces of “Only the Beginning” stuck in my head all that time, and needed to hear the whole song to get it unstuck.

7. I had a great business trip to Los Angeles and spent quality time with a friend while there.

8. I finished A Drowned Maiden’s Hair — fabulous! Delightfully old-fashioned and a great “everything as it should be” kind of book.

I’m sure there’s more, but I probably should go do a little work with my brothers….

1 – Buying Jules a book that she’s desperate to have – and getting it cheaper than the RRP PLUS with a free height wallchart… (And the book’s not for me !) It’s nice to be able to do nice things for others…

2 – Found out today that the lovely David Tennant won the Best Actor Award at the Welsh BAFTAs (we’ll gloss over the fact that the ignoramuses at the English BAFTAs totally ignored “Doctor Who”!). Badaboomba to David !!

3 – I’ve got some Amazon gift certificates to spend and I’m having a high old time deciding which of the many (mostly “Doctor Who” related) items from my wishlist to buy.

I have two more quick things to add to my list (I love reading everyone’s lists, as usual, by the way):

1) A bookshelf just fell on my 18-mo. old daughter, and she’s okay. (It wasn’t a huge one, obviously, but still . . .)

2) Supporting Michele’s Dr. Who habit by reimbursing her for the book she’s sending me with an Amazon gift certificate. Three guesses as to what she might buy or what it will be related to in some way . . .

My week was very hectic with work and travel, and seven things are rather hard to come by. But I did spend two lovely evenings drinking wine and talking with friends in Austin, at the trailing end of a business trip. And I got to talk books a bit with their twelve-year-old daughter. I was also touched by people’s generous and positive responses to my recent “Litty Award”.

Nancy, glad that the first date went well. Very cool. And Michele, I know exactly what you mean about how great it feels to cut your hair after much too long. Eisha, love the photo. Sleeping on a truly great mattress is such a joy, isn’t it? And Jules, the B-52s do that for me, too (feeling like being back in college).

I’m going to add one more thing. Yes, one more. This will sound terribly corny, but here we go: I’ve known Eisha’s husband as long as I’ve known Eisha, and he’s a very cool person. Very smart. Very funny. Very talented. And, well, I’m just proud of him for getting this teaching position at Ithaca. He’s going to seriously kick ass, too. Woo hoo!

Nancy, I’m girl-squealing for you regarding that first date. I just can’t help it. Girl-squeal. Girl-squeal.

1. Tricia, I’m jealous. I thought we were doing good with only 5 more Mondays to go!
2. I managed solitary blog duty for most of a week. Welcome home, Franki! Did I do OK?
3. Homemade chocolate shortbread made spur of the moment.
4. Sunshine. Finally.
5. Thai cooking class at Sur La Table and…
6. …a new mixer that has dough hooks AND a whisk!
7. Potato chips.

Shad Fest is a street fair they have in Lambertville, New Jersey every year, ostensibly to celebrate the running of the shad. People put up fish decorations (some tacky, some quite nice) to honor the weekend. The fair itself has good food, music, lots of artisan booths, and some fun kids stuff too (face painting, have your picture taken with wolves, etc). In good weather, like today, it’s just a very pleasant way to spend an afternoon.

Whee! What a great week this has been. So many great things from great people. I can’t wait to see the MR/RB production

My 7 things:

1) 4 tickets to Edinburgh!!!
2) Beautiful springy weather. Just goregous.
3) Sushi for dinner (a once-a-month treat)
4) Good books this week (Total Constant Order and Louisiana’s Song)
5) The Code of the Woosters on the i-pod
6) Sent out 30 books to reviewers. I have 30 fewer books in my house!! (I never thought that would be a good thing…)
7) I’m getting organized

For some reason, I’ve got a stiff neck today. However, I can still type. That’s a good thing! I won’t count it, though. Here are my seven things:

1) I composed a new birthday song to sing at birthday party gigs.
2) My sweet peas are sprouting for the sweet pea tipi.
3) The House of Glee actually cleaned and vacuumed today.
4) My first birthday party gig went well.
5) I can play D and D minor chords a lot more easily now– for awhile, they were the bane of every song I played.
6) I’m settling down to read some of my favorite Elizabeth Goudge books, including Blue Hills/ Henrietta’s House.
7) The beginnings of the sunflower plants are poking up through the soil.

This is the first time I’ve missed leaving a comment on Sunday–but I have an excuse. I awoke yesterday with some kind of bug. My ears were blocked, my sinuses stuffed, and I felt wiped out. I had to focus my attention on finishing my 30th poem to post today.

I had a great time with Grace Lin on Saturday–which you can read about at Wild Rose Reader in my OUT & ABOUT: April 29, 2007 post. We were up in lovely Newburyport, Massachusetts, for the Literary Festival. Grace was doing two presentations. I had a chance to chat with three other talented children’s illustrators: Ed Emberley, Wade Zahares, and Anna Vojtech. (I taught one of Anna’s sons in second grade many years ago.) One of my best friends showed up to sit in on one of Grace’s sessions. I had not seen this friend in some time.

I indulged myself and bought a limited edition Wade Zahares print…and a beautiful hand-painted gourd that caught my eye in a shop window.

I’m relieved that I made it to 30 poems! I am looking forward to Thursday’s class at BU. Grace Lin is coming to speak to my students. Eisha, if you’re not busy on Thursday around 5:45, you are invited to join us for a discussion of THE YEAR OF THE DOG.

I don’t know if that’s seven things–but I’m not counting right now. I’ve got to get ready to go back to school. I promised one of my former teaching colleagues that I would help her students write mask poems today.

Eisha, F is EVERYONE’S bane. I’ll play an F if I have to, but I’ll often transpose just to avoid the Fs. Lots of times when you see a song written in the key of F, all you have to do is transpose the song into E and place a capo on the first fret. For those reading this who don’t play guitar, what I just described is far easier than it sounds. A capo is a widget that you place on the strings to change the key of a song. I love playing in B flat minor, but I’m certainly not going to shape those chords myself. It’s better to use a capo and play the A scale chords (easy, easy).

Akelda – exactly! Holding down all those strings with the side of your poor tender finger is FOR ASS! Capos rock!

Elaine, you trooper, I’m so glad you’re feeling better. And CONGRATS on posting 30 original poems for Poetry Month – which is also the first 30 days of your blog! Seriously, that’s a huge achievement. Well done, you!